1. Field of Invention
The present disclosure is a lightweight, absorbent body bag for holding and carrying a human and animal body after death. The body bag is portable and disposable. The body bag has a backing substrate, an absorbent body that absorbs blood and other body fluids, a cover with a recloseable flap to enclose the body and conceal it from public view, and a gripping device for ease of carrying. The body bag can contain active agents that reduce contamination and/or odors. A method of using the body bag is also disclosed.
2. Description of the Related Art
When a human has died, the decedent's body (also called the corpse or remains) is often enclosed in a body bag for transportation. The function of a body bag is to enclose the decedent's body and conceal it from public view, and to permit transportation with minimal physical contact between the carriers and the decedent's body.
The body bag must be strong enough to hold the weight of a human body without breaking, even when transported over a great distance or exposed to inclement weather. The body bag should be sufficiently large to completely encompass the body yet be sufficiently lightweight so as to be readily portable.
With many conventional body bags, leakage of the decedent's body fluids outside of the body bag is a disadvantage, as body fluids can contaminate the bearers or the surfaces on which the body bag rests. The leakage of large amounts of body fluids in the body bag can also weaken the integrity of conventional body bags, potentially causing the body bag to stretch, or even break, when carried. If a body bag is constructed with a weak design, the bearers themselves may have to support the weight of the decedent's body by placing their hands under the body bag beneath his body, making transportation of the body bag more difficult.
A decedent's body may decompose more quickly in a body bag because of microorganisms that are present within the body or from environmental sources. Also, the decedent's body may be continually re-contaminated by blood or other body fluids in a conventional body bag.
Thus, there is a need for a body bag that addresses these disadvantages of conventional body bags.